Tips for creating a honeyfund that people will love so you can have the honeymoon of your dreams!

When I got married, I'd already been living with my then-fiancee for a few years. Except for a handful of big ticket items (hello KitchenAid!), we had everything we needed and didn't really want any more stuff. What we really, really did want was to go on our dream two-week honeymoon to Turkey and the Greek Isles.

Instead of settling for a barrage of towels and linens, we decided to forego the traditional wedding registries and do a Honeyfund honeymoon registry instead. A honeymoon registry, essentially, lets you ask generous wedding guests to contribute to the cost of your honeymoon in lieu of classic, physical gifts.

Our honeyfund was a huge success and paid for the entirety of our trip (everything except airfare, which we used credit card points to cover). However, I've heard lots of sad stories from friends whose honeymoon registries just never took off. Because I am a believer in choosing experiences over things, I'm sharing a few tips for creating a honeyfund that your guests will love - and fund!

- After comparing all the different honeymoon registry options, I chose to go with Honeyfund. Honeyfund is by far the most popular of the honeymoon registry platforms, but I chose it specifically because it is free to use and has one of the lowest online gift processing fees (2.8% + $.30 per transaction). It also passes the online gift processing fee on to you, not your guests. While this may sound like a bummer at first, I think it helps improve guests' user experiences. It feels more like they're gifting you something instead of just forking over money in a sterile online transaction.

- Remember that as much as we pretend that gift giving is about the recipient, it's really all about the giver. People want their gift to be an expression of their happiness for you, and they want to give you something you'll enjoy, appreciate, and remember them forever by. In order to help guests feel like they're truly doing that, make your registry items as specific as possible. Don't just divide it into broad categories like airfare, hotel, and food. Get detailed! Choose things like "two nights at a cozy hotel with breathtaking views of the Acropolis," "romantic sunset dinner on the cliffs of Santorini," "cocktails on the beach," or "tour of Ephesus." Make them see how excited you are about the trip.

- Along the same line, include things at a range of price points so everyone can participate and feel like they're gifting a memorable experience. Nobody gets really excited about pitching in $100 toward a $1,000 airline ticket. But it does feel great to know that your $50 gift will provide a day trip to Delphi or a bucket-list gondola ride through Venice.

- If you really hope that people will contribute to your honeyfund, stick to just one other more traditional registry option. This helps send a subtle message to guests, but still provides guests who might be uncomfortable with a honeymoon registry the ability to choose a more time-honored option.

- DO NOT under any circumstances include registry information on your wedding invitations. This is true regardless of whether you're registering with Honeyfund or Barneys. Instead, include a link on your wedding website and let your close family and bridal party know where to direct your guests. If you have older guests who might be less familiar with the concept of a honeymoon registry, it might be a good idea to provide some helpful talking points to your family and bridal party so they can make sure they know how great of a concept it is.

- Just like classic gifts, be sure to send timely, personalized thank you notes! I reached out to guests who contributed to our honeyfund immediately via email or phone so they knew how grateful and excited we were. I also sent a handwritten thank you note after the honeymoon that told them a bit more about the experience they provided.

- Finally, if people criticize you for choosing a honeymoon registry over a traditional registry, just politely ignore them. No one has a right to tell you that you should ask for a blender instead of a honeymoon experience.

If you're already married, did you use a Honeyfund or have tips you'd like to add? If you're not yet married or in the midst of honeymoon planning, do you plan to use a Honeyfund?

Some links on this site contain affiliate referrals, which means thatif you make a purchase through them I may make a small commission.I only link to products I personally love or use - the same ones I'd recommend to my family and closest friends!